Six years ago, I had my first Irish culture encounter.
Robert and I had just gotten engaged and hopped on a flight that summer so I could meet all of his relatives, the whole huge clan.
And…you guessed it…they’re Irish. From the moment I walked in the door to be greeted by his aunts and uncles and dozens of cousins, there was constant laughter, endless hugging, and so much love that exuded from every single one of them. This was family. An Irish family. And I immediately belonged, just like anyone does who is lucky enough to have a few happy Irish people in their lives.
I’m so blessed to be surrounded by that sort of family love every day, and St. Paddy’s Day seemed like the perfect time to kick off a project I’d been meaning to do for months- a DIY Irish Blessing sign. (Two years ago I made a DIY map of Ireland, which you can find the tutorial for here.)
Supplies used: (Affiliate links are provided below for convenience. For more information, see my full disclosure here.)
- Engineer print with your quote of choice (I used the 36×48 size from Staples.)
- Irish Blessing quote printable
- Scissors
- Black tea and paint brush (optional)
- 1/2 inch plywood
- 2 1x2x6 wood boards
- Circular saw (or power saw of your choice)
- Matte Mod Podge
- Wood Stain (I used Minwax Walnut.)
- 2″ finishing nails
- Hammer or nail gun
The best part, if all you have to buy is the wood, engineer print, stain, and Mod Podge, you can make this for about $40. I usually have Mod Podge and stain continuously in my stash, but maybe that’s just me and my crazy DIYness over here.
I had my quote printed onto an engineer print at Staples first. You can download your own free printable here that I made:
It’s really nothing fancy to look at all on its own.
I rolled mine out on our kitchen table and cut on the black line to get rid of the excess paper since I wanted a long, sort of narrow sign. (Coasters apparently make great paper weights.)
I wanted to age the paper since it was so very bright white, so I used my go-to paper aging method of brushing it with some brewed black tea and then let it dry. I used two bags of Luzianne black tea, but it probably doesn’t matter what brand you choose. (I did the same thing to Olivia’s DIY oversized sheet music signs.)
For the wood part, Robert used our circular saw (bless… I’m always putting him to work) to cut the plywood to 48″x16″. He cut the 1x2s to the width of the plywood (48″), then cut two more pieces of the 1x2s for the sides, adding 2 inches to make them 18″ for the frame.
I was a bad blogger y’all, and I didn’t photograph the next couple of steps (oops). I stained the 1×2 pieces with the Minwax Walnut and let them dry.
I brushed the Mod Podge onto the plywood to attach the engineer print to it. Start at one end and work in sections, smoothing the paper down and using an old credit card to press out any air bubbles as you work your way down the plywood to completely adhere the paper.
After the Mod Podge and stain is all dry, nail your 1x2s around the plywood to make a frame. You can see more details about that step here too. That’s it! Yay!
And hopefully, you can get a good idea of how to build it from the after:
So now our entryway makes me want to do a little jig. Teehee!
I’m so excited to have this sweet blessing at the very front of our home to greet guests. And, truthfully, we usually need a blessing of our own as we walk in and out of the front door each day.
In case you notice, I have a touch-up spot of stain to get to on the bottom part of the sign since we had to trim it up. Keepin’ it real.
Target is always out of these cute boxwood wreaths whenever I visit, so the last time when I saw one there, I snatched it right up. I’d make some myself if we actually had boxwood hedges in our yard. No such luck though.
When Robert’s parents visited Ireland last year, they picked up these tweed newsboy caps for us. Aren’t they cuuuute?
I finally replaced one of my Christmas pillow’s covers with this one from H&M.
And more book bundles and IKEA plants because I put these little guys everywhere.
This hallway of ours gets hardly any light and is very narrow, so it’s a bit tricky to photograph.
This space has definitely come a long way in the past year.
Last spring, it looked like this:
Nowadays, it’s looking a little extra cheerful.
You can read more about our entryway and foyer makeover process here and here if you’re new to our neck of the woods…well, suburbs.
By the way, since I get questions fairly often from you guys asking about paint sources and where I’ve bought our decor, I’ve written up a HUGE source list where you can find just about anything in our house. This thing was monstrous to round up, but I hope it will help y’all more easily find what you’re looking for.
Have you put any Irish-y green decor anywhere in your house lately? Or have you jumped ahead to Easter and full-out spring? We have a little bit of everything going on, and I love how much our house has come to life now.
Peace, love, and shamrocks to you, sweet friends!
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Love your sign Lauren & your entry way . You have a beautiful home. I have been to the Kilkenny Music festival a couple of times. Every pub & venue has music on & everyone is so welcoming. It’s a great craic!! I find the Irish so warm & laid back & funny! And I love Guinness. Have a lovely weekend
That sounds awesome! I’m dying to go! One day… We’ll be going to Savannah, GA in a few weeks and they have a couple of Irish pubs we plan to visit with live music. Maybe that will give me my fix until a trip to Ireland one day. Thanks for the love, Shirley!
Your hallway looks great! Everything! I couldn’t tell from your post what you plan to do, but I’d leave it that way all year round. You could change a few little things for different holidays. Maybe the hats or pillow, but leave the sign!
Thanks, Karen! Yes, I’m definitely leaving it like this year-round. The greenery will be changed out for fall colors and Christmas decor later, but the sign is staying for sure. 🙂
Love the sign! How did you make the file for the print? I am definitely making this one because of my Scots-Irish heritage (McGee is our family name!), but I would like to make another with a different quote. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Thanks! I made it on Picmonkey.com You could do it that way or just on Microsoft Word. 🙂
Lauren your entryway is absolutely drool worthy! That bench is gorgeous! It is all beautiful! Well done! I hope you have a great week!
Smiles!
Terry
The Curator’s Collection & Making Broken Beautiful
http://thecuratorscollection.wordpress.com
Thank you so much, Terry! You are too sweet. Hope you have a fabulous weekend!
Omg! Thank you so much ch for this post! I love all the big quote signs and was always wondering how I could get one-never did I think I could make it!
Love your hallway!
Yay!!! So glad it’ll come in handy, Lisa! I’ve made a couple of these big signs now and they’re pretty easy.
Love that sign! Can I ask where you got that cute topiary tree that is in the galvanized bucket on the ground? Real or fake? I hope it’s fake because I have a black thumb ha!
I’m right there with ya girl! Haha! I kill everything green. It’s fake. I got it at IKEA for $10 but I think they just recently discontinued them. The galvanized bucket is from Target.
I am near New Orleans so no IKEA neaby – boo! I am missing out for sure ha! So glad I found your blog, it is my new favorite!! 🙂
Aw that’s a big downer! Wow! What a compliment, Kelly! Thank you!
Love your sign and entryway, Lauren! I’ll be featuring it at The Scoop this Monday night. Thank you for linking up!
Thanks so much, Suzy!!!
Your sign is wonderful! I love your whole entryway. It is inviting but also functional.
Thanks so much, Stacey!
You have a beautiful home! Where did you get your bench and what do you call it? I have been looking for a church pew, but like your bench better!
Thank you.
Pam
Thank you, Pam! We found that bench on Craigslist for $35! I couldn’t believe it. I’ve searched all over the internet for a similar one and haven’t found one for less than $400. It’s called a buckboard bench or wagon bench. Hope that helps in your search. 🙂
Thank you Lauren. I’ll keep my eyes open for one. I can’t believe you paid $35. For one. Good find!
HI! I love this sign! My husband and I went to Ireland for our 5 year anniversary, 3 years ago next week. Ive been wanting to add a little something Irish into our decor, I think your sign is perfect!!! Im also wondering if you would tell me where your orb light is from? Its fantastic!!
Great! So glad this one might work out! The orb light was actually a DIY too. Here’s the post about it: https://www.blesserhouse.com/2016/02/diy-industrial-orb-pendant-light.html
Hello,
What if i want to create this very thing just with a different quote. How did you create the quote? Did you just use Word? If so, did you have to have it in the exact dimensions or was staples able to enlarge it for you? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Lyndsey! You can just design whatever quote you want in Picmonkey.com. On the main page of the site, click the “Design” icon, and you can add text on a blank image on the page it opens. It has a larger file size that way, whereas Word doesn’t. I had to resize mine in Picmonkey to be the size I needed for the dimensions of a Staples engineer print. Hope that helps!
Hi~
Love the sign! I would like to try and make one too. If you do the quote in Word, does it blow up in proportion? Doesn’t get distorted?
Thanks for any tips!!
Hi Dawn! I actually use Picmonkey.com to make mine. It’s totally free but the image size is really large, unlike Word. When you go to Picmonkey.com, just click the “Design” icon to create your printable from there. 🙂
Thank you so much!! I’m going to try it right now!
I love this so much, I have been trying to figure out picmonkey and using a word document but I am having a lot of trouble. Do you have a blog on how to size it so that the quote is the size and placed correctly. Thank you so much in advance! P.S. I just came upon your blog and I love it!
I’m so sorry you’re having trouble, Lindsay! I can’t remember if it was to another comment you wrote or another person, but I just updated this post so that you can just download the printable and have it printed at Staples. Here’s the link to download if you need it: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1v0yxoJQz3COVVsN1hvZlJ4VzQ/view?usp=sharing
Hi Lauren, I love this so much!! Would you be able to do a blog on how to use pic monkey and then uploading it to Staples for the engineer print? I am having a lot of trouble with dimensions, or do you already have one? Thank you so much!
That’s a good idea, Lindsay! I might write a tutorial for how to do that in the future. To make it easier, I went back and added my own printable I made to the supplies list. Here’s the link where you can download it too: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1v0yxoJQz3COVVsN1hvZlJ4VzQ/view?usp=sharing Hope that makes things less complicated for you! 🙂
Hi, I downloaded the one you made and uploaded it to staples. It looks on the example on the staples site that there is a lot of white around the quote does that seem right? I have been trying to make my own quote as well on pic monkey but cannot seem to size it right, when I go to resize picture do you have any suggestions on a size for a 24×36?
Thank you so much in advance, I love this so much and cannot wait to try to make it!
Yes, there will be a lot of white space. I wanted a longer, narrower sign, so I just used scissors to cut the print off at that black line in the middle. And then I marked and cut my plywood for the sign to those measurements with the wording on the engineer print.
Hi! Love the wall! What is the darker paint color? I’ve bee. Searching for something similar with no luck. Usually the color is too gray or too yellow-beige. Thanks!
Hi Jaime! Thanks! The paint color is Sherwin Williams Perfect Greige.
Hello I am actually in the process of creating this myself with a bible verse! I did have a question on the order of the steps. I went off both this blog and your “so you think you can dance” frame project too. In the music note project it looks like you hammered the frame to the plywood first then stained and mod podged the music note onto the already built frame. Is that correct? But on this blog it looks like you said to stain the wood pieces separate first and mod podge the print onto the plywood and THEN put the frame together…I will be building this in next couple of days and I am hoping to have an answer by then as to which is the best and easiest steps to create this. Thank you! And I LOVE this project I am so excited to see the finished result in my living room! 🙂
Thanks, Lyndsey! We made this Irish Blessing sign after we had done the sheet music one, and I ended up liking this process with the Irish sign better. It can be done either way, but the Irish way was a bit easier since I didn’t have to get the engineer print exact with the frame already made.
great cant wait to get started tomorrow! thank you for your quick response and your amazing project!
Yay! So glad to help!
Okay so I just mod podged my engineer print onto the plywood. I had my husband hold the end as I worked my way down the paper with a credit card. The very beginning turned out good and then a little over half way down crinkles everywhere! And when I tried to smooth it out with the card it didn’t get rid of the bubble only squished the bubble into a line so I had crinkles bubbles and lines all over! How did you get it so smooth? Did you have crinkles and at all? Ugh it was so frustrating I had to throw it out and luckily I have extra plywood I am going to re-print and attempt this for the last time. Our sign is long and skinny semi like this one we worked from left to right. We can try top to bottom next time but not sure if it’ll make a huge difference. Any tips? Please help! Lol 🙁
Oh no! I’m so sorry, Lyndsey! We had a few little crinkles but they weren’t terrible (I just told myself eh… it’s added texture like antique paper). We had to work very very slowly as my husband held up the print and I pressed little by little with the credit card to smooth it out. It took quite a bit of patience. Slow and steady all the way. Hope it’s better for you in the second go-round. :/
so i attempted this for the second time. there was still crinkles all over but i just went with it kept finishing and hung it on my wall anyway…aaaand i am so happy i did because i love it!!! you were right a few crinkles here and there just adds character and my husband loves it! thanks for all of your help and tips! now i am dying to take a great picture of it. i don’t have my own blog but i’d love to be able to take pictures and have them turn out great as if i did! so this brings me to a question…how do you get the pictures to look so professional and great?! your pictures look just like all the other bloggers (in a good way!) and i have always been sooooo curious on how to create that. like am i missing something that every body else knows? lol it never turns out the same with just my iphone camera (obviously) nor a fancy digital camera lol. i guess it depends on how expensive or fancy we’re talking. but i would love to know what the secret is! or if its simply just a specific kind of camera what kind do you recommend? can’t wait to hear back! thanks again Lauren! 🙂
YAAAY! I’m so glad it turned out so well, Lyndsey! Embrace the flaws. Just go with it, girl. 😉 I’d love to see it all finished! My email is blesserhouse@gmail.com if you want to send it along. No need to be fancy. 🙂 But I shared my photography tips here if you’re curious: https://www.blesserhouse.com/2015/02/8-tips-to-revolutionize-your-diy-blog.html
Hi Lauren,
Do you sell these signs? Love it and would be very interested.
Thanks
Hi Kelly! I’m sorry to say that I don’t. I highly doubt I’d be able to maintain this blog, my family, our house, and a shop all at once. Maybe one day…
Hi Lauren, I am transitioning to farmhouse and trying to learn some DIY projects so I don’t spend a fortune! I just ordered an engineering print from Staples using your quote. So very nice of you to share!! I want to make some more using different quotes, but not quite sure how to re-size in pic monkey. I don’t see that option. Do you have to be a paid member to do that? If I can figure that out, I think I’ll be able to do this! When you are resizing, are you making the size the same as the engineering print you will be using? Thanks so much! You are indeed talented. 🙂
Hi, Nancy! So glad you love it! I’ve thought about writing a tutorial for how to make signs in Picmonkey, so you might have just inspired a post for me. 🙂 But, no, you don’t have to be a paid member for that. The paid membership just gives you access to a few more photo editing features and settings and more text options. You shouldn’t have to resize at all. The way I do it: I go to Picmonkey.com – scroll my mouse over the design button – click 4×6 or 8×10 – click apply for a white canvas color – click “text” and choose the font I want – click “add text” – type my wording and drag my placement on the white page – highlight the wording – adjust font size in the pop-up text box – and save at full resolution (no file resizing necessary). You want it to be at a fairly high resolution for a large engineer print so that it doesn’t look pixelated. From there, you should be able to just send off the file directly to Staples for them to print. If you want a long, skinny print like I made, I just clicked “overlay” (the butterfly icon), clicked “geometric”, and dragged a rectangle onto the page that I adjusted to become a thick line down the middle of my page, repositioned my text, and the line serves as a guide where I should cut the paper once it’s an engineer print. I wish I could give you more visuals than that. Hope that helps though!
Hi Lauren, I am working on a large sign using your directions. Did you app;y Mod Podge over the print when you were done smoothing it? I believe on your daughter’s sign you did it that way.
Thank you!
I didn’t on this sign, but you certainly can! It will seal it that way. I should probably go back and do that step on this sign actually.
Beautiful! What font did you use on your sign?
Just good ol’ Times New Roman. 🙂
Hi, I’m absolutely in love with your entryway. It’s stunning. I know you provided a source list which is incredible but I love your bench. Where did you find your exact bench? Imy obsessed with it. Thanks, Taylor
Thank you, Taylor! I so wish there was a source for that bench. I found it for $35 on Craigslist a couple of years ago and it was the best find ever. I’ve searched high and low for a similar one but no luck, unfortunately.
Hi I found your blog thru instagram. The sign caught my eye right away! I grew up with that blessing on a plate in my mom’s kitchen and said the full blessing at my sister’s internment. It holds a very special place in my heart. I’m so thrilled to find a DIY for it, thank you for sharing. A new follower for sure!
I’m so glad it could help, Pam! Hope it turns out well for you!
What a great alternative to hand painting a sign! I love the idea with printed paper and mod podge!! I love those quote/blessing too. It was in my dad’s toast at our wedding 🙂
Aw that’s so sweet! I always love it too. A tapestry with this blessing hung in my parents’ house when I was growing up so it always reminds me of my childhood home. 🙂
I came over to this post from your 6 week den makeover post, I was not familiar with an “engineer print”.
Wow! What a great resource! I see so many free printables and quotes that I would love to reproduce– now I have a way to get the size I like!
I will try this and thank you for the inspiration and suggestions.
A whole blog on this with different applications would be great!
Thank you!
Isn’t it awesome?! I’ll be sharing the tutorial of the storybook art ones next week. 🙂 Thanks, Shelley!
I love this ! I have tried to get it printed but it comes out pixelated
They are telling me its not meant to me 36 x 48
What am I doing wrong ?
Oh no! Is it the one your downloaded directly from this blog post? You didn’t save in a smaller resolution or anything?
I found your post shared on Facebook and had to leave you a note. What a beautiful saying and your hall is gorgeous! Pinned and shared…Even though I’m not Irish, I think I need this saying and large plaque! Thanks so much for sharing your talent!!
Thank you, Wendi! You are too sweet! I think Irish doesn’t really have to be in your blood… it’s a state of mind. 😉
Where did you get your bench from?? 😍
I found it on Craigslist for $30. Best find ever. 🙂
Your entrance is a show stopper. Friends must be awed entering the door. The sign, the bench and those little tweed caps all go together so well. Its a lovely way to honour your husbands heritage and the Irish traditions. Beautifully done in every aspect.
Thank you, Leanna!
I love the look of your sign as well as it’s message!
Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday!
Thank you, Kimm!
Hi Lauren, What a nice entrance. Came from PINWORTHY PROJECTS PARTY and it’s for sure going to my boards! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Natalie!
Oh my word, Lauren, this is absolutely amazing.
And your entryway is PERFECT!!!!
I love your style!!!
Thank you, Michele!
Wow, I love this! I got to go to Ireland a few years ago, it was amazing and I can’t wait to go back. Pinning and sharing. Thanks for linking up to #HomeMattersParty
I love it Lauren! And the board and batten…this just might be the straw…my hallway is extremely jealous! Thanks for linking up at Creativity Unleashed!!
Thanks, Mindi!
Just wanted to let you know that I featured this on my blog. Thanks for sharing it at the Create Link Inspire party! This is an amazing project that gets me excited to DIY something similar. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Thank you, Rachel!
I love your sign and enlisted the help of my husband to help me make one too! I just started the tea staining process and the black ink on my paper smeared when I was brushing the tea water over the printed words. Did you have any of these issues? I’d hate to ruin another sign if I have it reprinted from Staples again. Just wondering where I went wrong?!
Oh no! Not sure how that happened! The blank ink on mine didn’t smear at all. You could skip the tea staining if you wanted to or if you like the antique look, you could dry brush all over the paper with a little cream and light brown craft paint instead. So sorry you’re having trouble!
I am obsessed! I love this sign and it’s a must have!
I just picked up my print from Staples and my husband has already cut my wood. I can not wait to finish this sign and get it up in my home. Thank you for the share and it certain looks amazing in your beautiful home!
oh I love this! And love the whole look of the entryway. Glad I found your blog on Pintrest & now following along on Instagram! 🙂 Can’t wait to try the diy with a Bible verse.
I am new to your blog. I enjoyed starting from the beginning to see the transformation of your new home. I have toured many model homes and your home is as beautiful as the homes done by “interior designers” I subscribed, and confirmed my subscription, but when I try to download the printable botanicals, I get a pop-up screen asking me to subscribe. I have subscribed twice now, but still cannot access any of the printable downloads. Help!
Hi Evelyn! You should receive an email after you confirm with the link to the printable gallery and password. If you still have trouble, shoot me an email at lauren@blesserhouse.com and I can email it to you directly. Sorry for all of the hoop jumping! Sometimes emails get lost in the shuffle or show up in a different folder in your account.
I am in LOVE with this sign! I want to make one for my mom. However, the place she will want to hang it is only 9″ in height and 3′ in length.
How did you make your file and know that it would work for the space/size you needed?
I see in a lot of the comments that you used Picmonkey, I do not want to pay for an account though.. Any thoughts/suggestions?
Hi Kelly! There is a free trial option on Picmonkey that you could still try. 🙂 Here’s the post where I explained more in detail how to make these types of printables: https://www.blesserhouse.com/2017/02/how-to-create-free-wall-art-and-home-decor-with-picmonkey.html
Hello, is there a difference between using an engineer print vs a thicker paper? Would it still have the same effect? Thank you!
Either one will work, really. Thicker paper would actually be easier to apply; it would just cost more than the engineer print.
I love your Irish Blessing sign. I tried to print it but was unable to. It kept saying to pin it and took me to Pinterest. Do you know why I can’t print it?
Hi Eileen, before you print it, did you click on the link to sign up to get access to the printables? After that, you should be taken right to it.